Mario Duenas

Mario Dueñas was born on April 23, 1985 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Was introduced to the piano at the age of 5, developing a special interest in harmony, and soon began a self- teaching process through record transcribing and bibliographic studies. Years later, established a variety of ensambles to further explore both the languages of composition as well as performance. After experiencing the music of Bill Evans and John Coltrane along with many other master improvisers, decided to continue a deeper study into the nature of improvisation. In 2008, traveled to the United States where he married to Denisse Navarro. While continuing to explore various improvisational approaches, he began to learn how to play the saxophone, in order to experience a different perspective of phrasing, timing and tone production. By 2013, their son Salvatore was born. Later traveled to Chicago, where they currently reside. Here, he finally decided to record and produce his debut album “Beliefs”, a sequence of spontaneous compositions, inspired on the human desire to understand the nature of reality. This electric solo piano project is the product of years of explorations of musical discourse, particularly through free improvisation.

Awards

2015: Was selected to receive $30,000 in scholarship from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. 2006: Guajazz, trio co-founded by Mario Dueñas, was awarded "Revelation Jazz Group of the Year” by the Guayaquil Jazz Project.

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